Bandit: Dancing With Fate
by Vallama Mayhem
Summary: Is anyone out there? That's all that I can ever think of. Everything and everyone in Yellowstone seems to have vanished. Ash is still raining from the sky and piling up like snow. Every day unleashes new challenges of finding things like food and water and just flat out surviving. I'm not sure I can make it much longer.*Will this Specimen survive the Supervolcano eruption? Plz R&R!
1. Chapter One : Good Times

**Is anyone out there? That's all I can ever think of. Everything and everyone in Yellowstone seems to have vanished. Ash is still raining from the sky and piling up like snow. Every day unleashes new challenges of finding essentials like food and water and just flat out surviving. I'm not sure I can make it much longer. It's been two days and there are no signs of the volcano ending its eruption. I want to go back to the time when things were fun and I was with my family. But now my family's dead. Everyone's dead. *Will this Specimen survive the super volcano's eruption?***

 **-Rewritten-**

I stretch as I awake, my body alive once more, ready for a new day. The fresh scent of pine is strong as I walk out of my den which holds me and my siblings, Shadow and Cloud, who are currently playing tag in the clearing. I stride over towards my mother who looks at me with her olive drab colored eyes.

"Are we going hunting today?" I ask curiously. She sighs and shrugs her shoulders as she resumes gnawing at the elk bone. I can't understand how she can sit there for most of the day and chew stories into bones. It would drive me grihl. Of course, my mother was supposed to keep the records of the pack, but still, it is monotonous work in my opinion. Finally giving up hope of finding an answer, I trot over to Shadow and Cloud.

"Can I join your… game?" I question slowly, not really wanting to know. I am just trying to free myself from the imprisonment of boredom.

The boys look at each other and then Shadow opens his mouth to reply.

"Only if you agree to our rules," he says, smiling devilishly as he does so. "All of them." I raise my eyebrow curiously. What rules could they have for a game of tag? "Because, if you want to play these games, you need to join our club," he answers my unvoiced question.

"A club?" I ask. "What's your motive to create a club? We are a pack, already, you know." Shadow rolls his eyes.

"We are like, the pack's secret agents," Cloud pipes up. He then slowly glances over at Shadow who has his ears flattened.

"Shh!" Shadow hisses. I sit down, deciding that watching this short comedy show put on by my two younger brothers was better than helping the pack decide something stupid like always. "Either that or I'll whack you so hard, you'll go grihl," Shadow snaps in Cloud's ear.

"Calm down you two," I say, moving in-between them to break up Shadow's attack. "It's not bad that Cloud said you guys were the defenders of the pack, or whatever. That's cool," I say, trying to put my heart in it so I sound believable, at least, "and if you two are a club, then you shouldn't fight." I exhale gradually, my eyes darting between the two as I back up. Being their pup sitter is harder than I thought it would be when I decided to start doing it for mom a while back.

"Sorry," Shadow says to Cloud. The latter nodded in recognition.

"Me too," Cloud says, "I shouldn't have said anything." I give them each licks on the head before I lay down.

"So, what are these rules?" I question them. "Must be real hard," I mutter sarcastically. Cloud disappears behind the pines and out of view. He soon emerges with a leaf of some sort. Probably from an oak or some sort of deciduous tree. He sets it down between me and them. Shadow clears his throat.

"One, you may not tell anyone about this organization slash club thing, and you can't tell them… where we meet. Which is currently right," he draws a circle around us, " _right_ here."

"But mom's over there. She can see us—" I start to say, but they don't give me clearance to continue.

"Don't tell anybody! This is secret. Second, you have to eat this leaf." What the…? I let my thought trail as I stare at them, my mouth slightly agape in disbelief. I reluctantly bend my head down, my mouth open. I couldn't wait until my friends were up. This is ridiculous, and I'm not going to do it. I stop and back up from the browning leaf. I'm not going to eat this just to get in on all of their fun. That's what my friends are for, right? God, I couldn't wait for them to wake up.

"Like, what are you doing?" Cloud asks curiously.

"I'm not doing this," I say simply, now suddenly begging to get out of here. Get away from these whack jobs.

"Why?" Shadow joins in, his green eyes questioning. I look at the grey wolf in astonishment.

"Because it's stupid. I'm one and a half years old; you guys are what, six months? I'm not doing this. This is for… pups," I say coolly. "And I don't want to be in your 'club'. I changed my mind, okay? I have better things to do."

"Like what, gossip and talk about boys?" Cloud snickers as he looks over at Shadow who is also laughing. I roll my eyes the hardest that I can before I turn my back to them and walk away towards where my friends and I usually meet. So what if we did those things? They'd do the same one of these days. I sit down next to some tall grass, hoping to evade the oncoming ultraviolet rays from the sun. It's only eight o' clock, but the temperature is already becoming scorching hot. I rest my chin on my paws just in time to see Cherry, Liko, and Skhala appear.

"What's up girlfriend?" Skhala asks, her beige body glimmering with beads of sweat from the intense heat.

"Hey guys," I say with a smile. "Nothing much," I add after a second's pause. "You don't know how glad I am to get away from the fuzz balls." I motion over towards my brothers who are now creating a small three winx by five winx fortress out of rocks.

"I thought you liked your brothers," Cherry ponders. "You always say how cute they are and stuff…."

"Oh, well, I don't know. They're just… weird," I say. "Look at what they're doing now! I don't know. Nowadays, they just come across to me as insolent little—"

"Careful now," Skhala warns, a smile drawn on her lips, "little ears." She nods her head towards my brothers and flashes her eyes to the sides of us. It was true that there were quite a few pups around the clearing that was just behind us.

"I really don't know why," I continue as if there hadn't been an interruption, "but they are just… more annoying now."

"They're growing up. They haven't found their footing yet," Liko says in a faraway voice like always.

"Okay, enough sib talk," Skhala huffs. "Let's talk about other stuff." I can hear Liko give a slight moan of annoyance while Cherry perks up and inches closer. I just shake my head.

"Hey, when we were hunting, did you see that male?" Cherry asks Skhala.

"Oh my God, yes," she exclaims. "He was _so_ hot." He really was attractive. His midnight black colored coat and silvery eyes. But I wasn't interested in finding a mate out of the pack.

"I hope he was a Druid," Cherry yaks, breaking my thoughts.

"That would be perfect," Skhala squeals. "Just as long as he's not a Slough, though, they live in a wasteland. They can't be strong, then, can they? See, my problem with our pack is that we don't have any cute males. Except Phoenix and Aireo, but they're always taken." And that's why I would probably never get a mate, even in the pack unless he was… ugly. I am not boy-crazy like Skhala and Cherry are, talking constantly about who is the hottest, or whatever. Sure I'll join in, but if I find a male that I like, I don't tell them. Well, I do, once I'm sure I actually like him, but I've only liked one male. And that was Phoenix who is currently more interested in Taigo, the young alpha. The 'princess.' I still have a thing for Phoenix, but I have long since given up trying to get his attention.

"So, who do you all like?" Cherry asks. Liko grunts in boredom. "Sorry, just asking," Cherry apologizes.

"Obviously nobody here. Well, like I said, that male we saw, but the chances of seeing him again," Skhala sighs sadly. They all look at me, even Liko who I know secretly has an interest in this subject; she just doesn't like to express it.

"Me? I uh… nobody," I lie. My voice quivers slightly, and I know they will not believe me.

"Uh-huh. _Sure,_ " Cherry says. I sigh lightly, giving up.

"Who do you think?" I ask them.

"Oooh," Skhala says with a glint in her eye. "She likes Phoenix still!" I avoid their stare by looking at the dirt beneath my paws. Liko lets a little gasp escape her. Cherry looks at her with a risen brow before averting her attention back to me. "He's right over there," Skhala states.

"So? I'm not talking to him." Skhala clicks her tongue at me. "What?" Before I can do anything, Cherry steps forward and stops before Phoenix.

"Hey," I can hear her saying, "Bandit really wants to talk to you." The sound of my name gives me shivers. It doesn't sound like a female's name.

"Oh, is that so?" Phoenix looks up at me with his blazing golden eyes. His gold and red body moves towards us. I can feel a shiver rush down my spine as he comes nearer. Cherry, Skhala, and Liko all move back, giving me space. My face grows warm. "So… what do you want to talk about?" he asks with his sincere voice. I stay silent, my tightly shut mouth blocking the words from coming out. My throat becomes dry as I stare into his eyes. I can feel the seconds tick by. He stands still, waiting. One minute. Two minutes. He becomes a little bored, I can see it in his face, and shifts his weight as he shakes away the prickling feeling of his legs falling asleep. It had to be three minutes when he gives me an odd look and he begins to turn away.

"Wait!" Skhala barks. He looks back. "I'll tell you, since she's a little…" Skhala gropes around for the right word, "nervous." Okay, so I am a little nervous, but she better not tell him. If she does—

"She likes you. Quite a bit, too," Skhala adds thoughtfully to herself. I can see Phoenix's eyes widen slightly. I tense and look over at Skhala, hatred apparent in my eyes. "What?" she snaps quietly to me. I shake my head as I look back up into Phoenix's eyes. They soften as I look at him. There is an awkward moment where he doesn't say anything.

"Well then, if what Skhala is saying is true, I'll see you tonight." Phoenix smiles, winks, and then walks away into the woods. My mouth is slightly open as my mind processes what he just said. I can't believe we were going to actually talk—alone. Together.

"Oh my God, Skhala, thank you!" I say, breathless as I put a paw on her shoulder.

"No prob, sis," she says with a grin. Liko is watching me like she thought this was just a dream for me and a nightmare for her. All of them had not even tried to get together with Phoenix or Aireo. But with Skhala's and Cherry's help just now, I had. I look over at Liko with something just short of a sympathetic smile. This had gone from sort of a crazy day to the perfect day.

"C'mon girl, we have to get you ready for tonight!" Cherry exclaims. I get to talk with Phoenix, and they get to fix me up for it. It's a win-win all around.

 ***Grihl: mad/insane/nuts**

 ***Whinx: equivalent to 12 inches.**

 **A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope it was okay. The next ones will hopefully be better!**

 **Oh, and if you have any ideas for names, please tell me ;-)**


	2. Chapter Two : Rockslide

"Ouch," I say as Cherry sticks a lilac wildflower between my ear and my forehead.

"Sorry," Cherry apologizes as she walks around me, looking for something else to clean up.

Skhala licks my fur, cleaning it. She then also studies me. Cherry looks at Skhala. Both of them share smiles of satisfaction.

"She looks great," Skhala says. "Oh, Bandit, he's going to love you!" I roll my eyes slightly with a small smile. As I walk away from them, I can feel my sleeked fur shifting each time I take a step. The flower in my fur bounces imperceptibly. I can feel, to some extent, a flutter in my chest. Excitement tingles down my marrow as I see Phoenix sitting on the rocks that overlook most of Yellowstone.

I advance nimbly, my paws barely making a sound as I clear my throat to alert him that I'm there. Nervousness flashes throughout my body in shockwaves. I take a large gasp of air as he turns, and his dazzling eyes meet mine.

"H—hey," I say unconfidently. God, I have already blown it. I bite my lip slightly. Unnoticeably.

"Hello," Phoenix returns with a smile. "I like that flower," he adds, probably hoping to create small-talk, knowing that I'm shy and uptight. I refuse to mirror his facial expression as I feel my face become steaming hot. I look away. Why do you like Taigo more than me? I want to ask, but that doesn't sound right. We haven't even talked to each other. What do you like about Taigo? Why is Taigo the center of your world? I'm beginning to think this topic isn't appropriate. I let a sigh escape from my mouth. Phoenix looks at me questioningly. Oh my God, why am I such an idiot?

"Why do you like Taigo?" I blurt out. At least I picked a better option than some of the other thoughts that had crossed my mind.

"Hmm," Phoenix begins, his face calm, like it was the most natural question in the world for me to ask him about his lover. "Do you want me to be honest?" His voice begins to become more and more uneasy. I nod. Why would he even ask that?

"Okay, honestly," he pauses and then continues, his voice now a hushed whisper, "I don't. My dad practically set me up with her. I don't like anything about her. Well, she has some perks, like she's good-looking, but other than that… nothing, really. She's a snob. She's a brat. And she's as bossy as hell."

"Wow," I comment. I messed up again, that's not something to really " _wow"_ about! I really am an imbecile. Phoenix looks at me, but not with annoyance, or anything of the sort. He seems amused if anything.

"So, do you actually like me?" Of course I do! I debate whether I should tell him or what. But I don't have to answer, for I see Taigo come out from the bushes.

"What are you doing with _her_?" Taigo snarls, her black form appearing beside the golden wolf. She moves forward, her hackles bristled. She snaps her pearly teeth at the air, trying to scare me off.

"Relax, okay?" Phoenix turns to Taigo. "We're just… hanging out. And talking, that's all. I swear."

"Don't tell me to relax! If you wanted me to _relax_ , then you wouldn't be here, talking to another wolf! Especially not this _mutt._ Scram, Bandit."

"No," I say firmly, holding my ground. "We were just talking, as Phoenix said, and we would like to finish _our_ conversation." Taigo curses under her breathe as she walks in tightly knit circles, her ears flattened. My heart beats quickly as the blood rises. I couldn't have described her better than Phoenix did.

"Fine. But if you two do—"

"Just get some rest," Phoenix breaks in calmly. Taigo grunts, turns, and walks back into the forest.

"I didn't know she was that bad," I admit. I had only seen her a couple of times, and she mostly stayed away from me and the 'gang'.

"I told you," he says with a minute small, "she's the devil." I nod in agreement as I inch a little closer towards him. "And I'm sorry she called you mutt," he adds quietly.

"It's okay," I tell him truthfully. _Mutt_ doesn't bother me as much as it used to. It used to be such an awful word back when we were all younger. Only the bullies would use it.

We stare off into the sky for a while, watching the stars sparkle against the night's blackness. "It's so beautiful," I say. I catch a barely audible ''uh-huh'' from Phoenix. The time elapses as we stare blankly into the night. The seconds continue to drag along as we stay silent. I look at Phoenix who smiles as we make eye contact. God he's handsome. His golden fur seems to emit its own light.

Suddenly everything—the peace and my thoughts—are broken by a large rumble. I spread my paws wide apart, trying to maintain my balance. Phoenix jumps to his feet and replicates my movements. My fearful eyes meet his composed ones. How could he be so confident that this wasn't going to be something that could kill us? And just as the thought flickers across my mind, the rocks on the ledge give way. Boulders and sediment alike break free from the edge of the cliff. I tumble down the slope. Pain flares in various areas. My head throbs as I get up, the dust overwhelming, enveloping even the twilight above me. I search around frantically for Phoenix, but I can't find him.

"Phoenix!" I shout desperately. I can hear a groan and the shifting of rocks. His once yellow-red body is now grey and brown, marked with dirty blood and grime. His eyes widen as the dust clears and reveals the surroundings. But it's not the devastation that the rockslide has created that he is bug-eyed at. It's me.

"Bandit, we need to get you to the healer. Look at you! You've got gashes everywhere," Phoenix says in a slightly worried voice. I look down at my legs and am not surprised to be greeted by gaping wounds from the sharp rocks.

"I'll be fine for now," I say, "just as long as we get back up there soon enough. But it's not like we're that far away." I cough as the particles become trapped in my lungs. "I'm fine," I say before Phoenix asks his question which is on the tip of his tongue. He nods and we both begin to climb back up the hill. Large amounts of dirt were carried with the slide. We pass by two trees that have been carried along. What could cause this? Earthquakes aren't common here. I give Phoenix a look like he would know the answer to my inaudible question.

I come up to the peak of the hill and am immediately welcomed with an embrace from my mom who starts firing away questions. Most of the pack is awake and looking over at the devastation. Shadow and Cloud look at me, worried.

"I'm fine," I say to them. More of the pack comes over to Phoenix and I. "I'm fine," I repeat for the umpteenth time.

"You may say you are," I hear my mom say over the loud noise of the pack's chattering, "but we need to get you to Staysha." Phoenix heads the convoy which includes of him, me, my mom and my brothers as he clears the way, cutting a solid line through the pack towards the healer's den.

* * *

 _3 hour Timeskip_

* * *

"You'll be just fine," Staysha says as she puts some sort of mixture on my wounds. "Take it easy the next day, at least. More like this week." I sigh as I lay down, my eyes sagging from the lack of sleep.

"We'll make sure that she does," I hear mom say. How can she do that, though, if she's always busy working with bones or whatever? Eh, it doesn't matter. I'm too tired to do anything that they need to worry about anyways. I follow my mother out of the healer's den and then get bombarded with questions from Cloud and Shadow.

"Was it cool?" Shadow asks curiously.

"Like, was it like, awesome to like, ride on rocks?" Cloud begs me to answer.

"No," I answer, my head still pounding, "It wasn't cool. And it wasn't even close to awesome. It was terrifying and painful." I made sure to end the conversation there, and they knew it. Cloud shivers at my words as Shadow takes him to play near their meeting area. Well, this was sure going to be a _great_ day. If Skhala and the group comes, it's bound to be interesting. How did it go? Oh, well, I almost died. I chuckled out loud at my inner conversation.

I lay down in the entrance of the den as the sun's light filters through the large pines. My eyes blink lethargically as I look around. I need to get sleep, but I'm also awaiting Skhala's visit. I can see the wolves appear from the forest.

"How are you doing?" Skhala asks.

"I'm tired. Umm… I'm not hurt, if that's what you are asking," I say to her, a smile flickering on my lips.

"That must have been scary," Cherry speaks.

"It was. Everything happened so fast," I try to put the event into words. "It happened in the blink of an eye. First the ground began vibrating, and then everything just fell a good twenty winxes. Once everything started falling, I'm not sure what I felt. It all happened to fast for me to tell. I think I was more worried about Phoenix. And I was focusing on how to stay above the rocks." I try very hard to think of what I was thinking then, but nothing is coming to me. It was all too fast for one to think of fear or worry _while_ it was happening. When the ground began to shake, I knew how I felt. But not when I was plunging many winxes down with the rocks. Liko nods her head in understanding. But they don't understand. This is a catastrophe that caused a den to collapse, thankfully with no one inside, and a scary experience for me and probably Phoenix, too.

"I wonder why that happened." Cherry ponders out loud. That had also crossed my mind. There was no _explainable_ reason to why the cliff collapsed on itself. And what were the chances that _I_ would be on it when it shattered.

"Maybe there's something that we don't know about. That we can't explain," Liko tries to reason.

"Or maybe the humans were, I don't know, detonating things to make a road or something a couple miles off, and maybe that sent a trigger that caused the cliff to give in," Skhala says, rolling her eyes at Liko. "We can explain anything. Nothing is unexplainable! Wolves have been around longer… longer than I can count! We know _everything_ about nature," Skhala says shortly. I can see where she is in the right. Wolves have been around for a long time. But how can we possibly know everything? She's wrong in the fact that there are always new things happening. Global warming, for one. We couldn't have expected that or explained why the Earth was warming when it started several decades ago. News travels, so now we know, but before, we didn't. Maybe it's the same now. We don't know what is happening presently, but we will soon enough.

Silence plagues the air around us as we stare blankly at the ground. Several times one of us opens our mouth, but nothing comes out. Liko's, unwavering, fearless eyes look at each of us. God, she's about to continue the argument.

"We can't possibly know everything," she says, her eyes trained on Skhala.

"Well, duh, obviously not _everything_! But we know most things!"

"That's my point," Liko continues. "We don't know _everything_. And, therefore, there could be an unexplainable force behind this."

"But that's _my_ point," Skhala says furiously, her eyes turning a stormy grey as her anger froths to full capacity. " _Somebody,_ at least somebody, knows. It can't be not known by everyone in the entire world!" She gasps for breath. I swear she's about to start hyperventilating. Her nose flares with each long, deep breathe. Cherry and I take a step back. I look at her as if to say, "Should we leave?" Cherry picks up the hint and nods minutely. I slowly back up and then I turn around abruptly and trot away from the feud. Cherry is by my side.

"They really get… crazy," I say to Cherry.

"Well, you have to admit, Liko sort of has that edge in her voice that makes you want to whack her."

I nod, agreeing fully with Cherry's statement. Liko could be silent and almost appeared to be eavesdropping, even though she was technically part of the group, and then sometimes she would just come out with a smart comment that drove you grihl.

"Should we just go ahead and wait for Skhala to come over here? Or should we go somewhere else…?" I ask Cherry uncertainly.

"We'll just wait here," she answers with a drawn out sigh. The faint noise of bickering trails through the air to my ears. "Yeah, no, I'm sorry, Bandit, but I can't do this. I'm heading to my den."

"Bye," I say surly. She gives me a quick look before snapping her tail in farewell. I expel a long breath before I get up and trudge off, my feet heavy like lead as I walk towards the den. _Such_ a great day. I sprawl across the grass in front of the den as I think about Phoenix. Maybe I should go see him. Mom is doing whatever she does, and my brothers are off playing some kid's game. I may as well head over towards where Phoenix lives. After all, I only have to cross through a bit of woods, the clearing, and then I'm there.

I let out a groan as I get up and stretch. I walk towards where Phoenix will hopefully be. Optimistically speaking, I will be able to avoid the flames that the others are sharing amongst each other. I weave through the trees and then airily trot through the glade. Phoenix is sitting on a boulder, overlooking the younger wolves that are playing in the margin between the forests. He leaps down as he sees me, his tail wagging.

"Are you okay? I mean, nothing's… I don't know, you're not… traumatized, right?" Phoenix asks as his gleaming eyes search mine. I laugh as he spits out the words.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've told you. And everyone else, for that matter," I say, smiling at him. Phoenix takes a step forward. I look up from his paw, meeting his face. I give him a very light nuzzle. We're just friends, either that or I'd be beaten to a pulp by that savage. By Taigo. He seems to be about to give me a small kiss, but I move back and begin talking immediately.

"I should probably get going," I suggest.

"Don't go," Phoenix says. "The pack's not going hunting until this afternoon. We're only what, one year olds? The pack doesn't expect us to do anything except watch over the younger guys," he motions towards the pups in the clearing. "So what could you possibly have to do?" I sigh.

"I don't want anything to happen between us," I reveal.

"There's nothing happening—wait, you're the one who said you liked me," he says, his lips twitching into a smile.

"But… I… There's… definitely something happening—" I begin to voice, but he keeps his voice above mine.

"Quite," he says, his head lowering as he continues. "Is this because of Taigo? I told you, I don't like her. And there's nothing going on between her and me. Her and I? Her and me," he decides. My eyes widen as he speaks. But, no, I don't want anything to happen between us. Even if I like him. We're too young, and… yeah. I just don't want anything to happen. Not yet.

"Seriously, I need to go."

"Why?"

"I need to go," I repeat curtly. A sorry look appears on my face. "Sorry, it's just… I have to find my brothers. You know, watch them," I lie. Good thing I'm good at lying.

"Oh, is that so?" Phoenix says. "I could come."

"No, no, that's okay. Just stay here. These guys need you, you know? Um… I'll just… be going now," I say awkwardly. I back up slowly and then turn even more sluggishly, but definitely no less gawkily. I can feel his eyes following me as I head onwards. I can feel his disappointment, faintly, apparent in the air as I disappear from sight. I let out my breath that I had been holding. Funny, because I hadn't even noticed it. Hmm.

I sit down outside of the rock wall that Cloud and Shadow had made. The sound of rustling leaves comes from within. What am I supposed to do, knock? I look around the wall. No opening. I circle around, hoping that it was just a wall, but no, there just has to be this sheet of wood covering the only entrance. I scratch at the birch's bark.

"Who is it?" a muffled voice asks.

"Bandit," I say, annoyance dripping with every word I let go of. "Let me in, okay? Or I'm going to tell mom."

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary," Shadow's voice becomes clear as he moves the wood aside. "What do you want?"

"Is there enough room in there for me, too?" I ask.

"No. Well, like, no," I hear Cloud's voice from the back. "Like, yeah, but—" Shadow puts a paw on his mouth.

"Okay, let me in."

"No," Shadow says. "Who do you think you are?"

"Who do you think _you_ are? I'm your older sister," I say.

"Well I'm… I'm your brother."

" _Younger_ brother," I imply. Shadow gives up and lets me come in. My tail is out the doorway, but I'm not worried about that. My mouth is gaping open at the way that the mud holds up the rocks. "How did you do this?"

"Secret," Shadow whispers. Sure, I think inwardly. It's not a tight fit inside. It's actually quite roomy, Cloud sits in the front right corner and Shadow sits in the other. Both have a small window.

"What is this for?" I ask. There's a pause. "Oh, wait, don't tell me, it's a secret, right?" They nod their heads. Why do I ever try to get involved with their stuff? It's always boring. They always leave me out. But that shouldn't bother me! I'm older, and I'm responsible. I groan as I get up and make a tight turn, emerging out into the open world. Hallelujah. Just in time, too, for the rich howl of the alpha, Corver, calls for everyone from a year old to six to come join the hunting party. You don't have to, if you don't want dinner. They only bring back one elk, and that's for the elders and pups. Not you.

I lope forwards towards the ringing call to which approximately twenty wolves approach. I don't know how much help I'll be, since I'm exhausted, but at least I'll get a few bites. And Phoenix may even spare some elk for me if the others decide that I didn't pull my own weight. It's good to have friends. Especially when you have a friend like Phoenix and a group like Skhala, Cherry, and Liko who have decided to join me.

"Are you ready?" Corver barks loudly. The pack howls in answer, and the journey to the hunting grounds is on.

 **A/N: I will not be posting the next chapter until I have 1 review, which will be 'Hunting', and then more chapters will follow! :) **

**Volcano's eruption isn't far off! Only 1-3 more chapters!**


	3. Chapter Three : Emotions

Skhala, Cherry, Liko, Phoenix, and I cross the hunting grounds perimeter. Skhala and Cherry and even Liko at times are attempting to flirt with Phoenix, but he pays no attention to him as he focuses in on an older elk. It is surprisingly amusing to watch.

"You know, we could go to the Lone Tree together one of these days," Skhala pursues Phoenix's attention. Her face drops as he doesn't answer. "Or night even."

"That's too far away," Cherry says.

"Exactly. It will get us away from the pack."

"Oooh," Cherry's eyes widen. "I get it." I just roll mine as Phoenix and I begin to make our move as the other three bicker over whatever they're bickering about these days.

"So, how about it?" Skhala asks Phoenix as she comes up on his right. The older elk perks its ears and looks at us. My breath catches as she begins to move, but she decides she's hearing things and she goes back to eating.

"Look what you did," Phoenix says irritably. Skhala looks taken aback. I let a smile appear across my lips as I look away from her. Phoenix glances at me, a grin also lined on his face. I get ready to sprint towards the elk. Phoenix gives the signal, and I'm off in a flash. My paws soar across the ground as I fly towards the elk. It panics and flings its hooves back wildly as it dashes towards the right. I spin on my hind foot, my tongue lolling out of my mouth as the thought of food lingers in my mind. The doe leaps over a log which I jump off of, my fangs landing into the elk's hindquarters. It squeals and kicks, but I continue to rip into her hind ruthlessly, barely noticing the quick, sharp stabs of pain that the hooves inject into me.

The warm, metallic taste of blood lingers in my mouth as I pause, panting heavily. Phoenix takes the lead and attacks the elk. Skhala and the others pass by just as I recover. I catch up quickly and even pass Cherry and Liko and Phoenix, who had just finished his wave of attacks. Skhala and I jumped in unison, our claws tearing into the elk's back and rear. I scramble onto her back as she bucks and rears. I balance myself by digging my claws into her skin. Beads of crimson liquid form at the surface of the elk's skin where my claws and teeth have punctured it.

I lash my head forwards, digging my canines into the doe's neck savagely. Phoenix attacks its shoulder as the other three attack from the hind. I thrust my head back and forth, attempting to tear the meat from her neck. She squeals as I break some meat free which I quickly swallow. Blood seeps from her wounds which line her body. The metal scent becomes stronger as the scent of life weakens. I jump from her shoulders and bite into her ear, my body hanging. The squealing noise deafens me for a couple of seconds before she gives and falls. I back up, panting fiercely. Phoenix lunges at it again and again as Liko and Cherry tear into its neck. Skhala joins in, tearing at its stomach as its legs flail, its bloodied body beginning to lose hope. I wait until it is dead to go forward and eat my share. The meat is refreshing, its warmness soothes my throat and quenches my hunger and thirst.

"So," Skhala begins as she swallows once more, "Phoenix. How about it?" He gazes at her, encouraging her to go on. "So, did you not here what I said earlier? I said, can we go to the Lone Tree together—tonight," she says persistently. I whisper something to Phoenix.

"Sorry, Skhala," he says, "but tonight, I have a date with Bandit." A grin plays across his lips as he turns around. I chuckle as Skhala's face burns with humiliation.

"Maybe you'll be luckier next time," I comment before I also turn around. But they have a different idea than I do.

"You aren't talking to me like that. Right? I must just be imagining. Right? Because, if I remember correctly… Cherry and I set you up with him. Didn't we? Or am I forgetting something?" Skhala hisses. I can feel my heart become torn. Sure, they did, but I feel so… so _supreme_ and so different when I'm around Phoenix, and to know that he _wants_ me makes me feel—special. But I also know that I shouldn't treat them this way. That they are my friends. I can feel a groan of exasperation tingling my throat, dying to be let loose. But I cage it and follow behind Phoenix. Things will be better by tomorrow. We always get over these small fumes.

* * *

 _30 Min Timeskip_

* * *

"When do we need to be back by?" I ask Phoenix as we near the Burn.

"I'm sure Skhala will be delighted to tell everyone that we have gone off. We don't need to rush."

"Uh-huh," I say, unsure, but nevertheless, I continue to follow in his wake. The sun begins to set, and the sky and clouds are splashed with shades of pink, purple, and orange.

"What are we doing here?" I inquire.

"We're just going to hang out," Phoenix says reassuringly.

"Oh. Okay." We sit side by side on the slope. The view is spectacular, I can see the Dry Creek and Grassy Plains as well as the Douglas Fir Forest and Amethyst Mountain—home. My shadow grows longer as the sun sets. Phoenix stays silent. I follow suit, confused by why he actually took up my offer. I had just been joking, but it wasn't a joke any longer. We are together, and we are very much separated from the pack. What could we possibly do here that we couldn't do at home? I glance over at him and I can't help but observe his strong muscles and firm build.

"Bandit," his voice brings me out of my scrutiny. He pauses for a couple of respectable seconds before he continues, slowly, like he was having trouble putting his thoughts into words. "Have you… will you…?" He evaluates his thoughts before he finally figures out that he wants to put his question straight out there. "Will you be my mate?" My heart literally stops. My breath is taken away from my chest. My gut clenches like it did when the rockslide occurred. My head becomes foggy as I mull over what he has said.

"Me?" I ask, my voice waving as my mind ping-pongs with thoughts. "We just… met… I don't know what I'm saying! Yes!" I yip loudly, my tail wagging wildly in all directions as a feeling sweeps over me. A feeling that pulls me towards him. I give him a drawn out lick on the cheek as he mimics me, and does the same. "I love you," I admit calmly. The sensation of a warm, wool blanket being wrapped around me is strong as he leans against me, his tongue caressing my fur.

Suddenly things change inside of me. Revulsion at what just happened takes over the cozy feeling within me. I didn't want this to happen! Not yet! We're only one, for crying out loud! I snap at Phoenix, and he backs off. I am not surprised if my eyes are gleaming red with anger. I back up, my teeth bared as I take off towards the Mountain, but soon the mix of emotions and the sweeping tiredness that begins to break my body down causes me to collapse. And I can't get back on my feet. The sound of a wolf running comes closer and closer, and before I know it, Phoenix's eyes are staring back at mine. I immediately feel the anger crumble, along with the hatred of myself for letting this happen.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix."

"Its fine," he reassures me as he places his paw on mine. "I understand."

"I still want to be your mate, it's just that… Well, I _told_ you that I didn't want this to go anywhere. Not anywhere big. Not yet. But now it has," I say solemnly. "I'm not ready for this."

"It's fine. We can wait—"

"But I don't want to wait! Not now. I know, I'm confusing you and even myself, but please try to understand," I beg him.

"It's okay. I do, sort of. Just calm down. We don't have anywhere to go, nothing's going to happen," he says soothingly, in his unmistakably saintly voice.

"Okay. Okay," I say, my heart slowing down to a normal rate. I give him a small lick. God, my feelings are really mixed up. But I honestly do like him—love him, even, and I want to be his mate.

"We really should get back, no matter what you say," I smile at him, my voice dripping with humor.

"Alright," Phoenix gives in. "Let's go home."

"We're still mates, though?" I ask him, hoping he'll say yes.

"Of course," he says, grinning constantly as we head towards home.

I wonder what the others will think. I wonder what my brothers will think. I wonder what mom will think. I wonder what everyone will think about Phoenix and I together. The mere thought of it makes a smirk toy on my lips.

"Mom!" I say excitedly as I see my brothers. "Mom?" I ask again, blankly, as I stare at the huddle of wolves around the clearing. Corver looks at me, his eyes watery, like he is about to cry, but he is refusing to let tears escape him. The other wolves turn their heads dismally towards me. I lean into Phoenix who is on my right as I hear the horrid words that Corver speaks:

 **A/N: I'll have the next chapter up soonest time possible, and you'll then know what he's going to say, but some of you probably have figured it out. Sorry for this cliff hanger sort of deal.**

 **Thank you for reading! And please review!**


	4. Chapter Four : Tears of a Geyser

**A/N: I would like to give a shout out to Supervolcano (The 2 episode docudrama) for greatly inspiring my choices on what events happen (Rockslide, Crevasse, Geyser, etc.) before the Yellowstone Caldera bursts open.**

"She's gone… she's… she's dead."

"How—how did she die?" I ask Corvor as the pack begins to disperse and head back to their dens to sleep.

"An earthquake—"

"But I thought that there weren't quakes here?"

"There are. You've just been lucky enough not to experience one besides the landslide that was the result of one." His voice is tough, and almost angry. "It was a freak accident," he continues. "There was an earthquake. The land just… split. Your mother was on the rocks that fissured. It just came apart like teeth ripping into a carcass… She tried to jump. Her paws even hooked onto the stable land. But we weren't fast enough to help her. More land broke apart and fell down the crevasse, and before we knew it, bang… she was gone."

"Couldn't she still be alive?" I ask, my eyes searching his for answers.

"Most likely, no. That drop could have been hundreds of whinxes down for all we know. I'm sorry, kid," he says as he turns away, his paw rising to his face. He walks off.

Pain shoots through me like a volley of hunter's bullets. I feel worthless, like there is barely a point of living. God, if it weren't for Phoenix and my brothers, I would probably kill myself. Emptiness steals my heart. My gut suddenly becomes a swirling river, and I can sense bile rising to my mouth. My father is gone, and probably dead, and now my mom is, too. Who will it be next? Me? My brothers? Skhala, Cherry, Liko, or Phoenix?

I cough as I force my breath out, my nose becoming stuffy. I shake my head, the cloudiness slowly leaving. I need to focus on Shadow and Cloud more than anything, now. It's my job that I never do, because mom is—was—around. And I won't let them die. I'll be able to be sure of that when they're by my side every second of the day and night. Corvor begins to stride away.

"Wait!" I say. "What happened to my father? I have right to know, now that my mother's dead, and everyone refused to tell me." It seems too hard for Corvor to say, his mouth is slightly open. He knows what to say, but he doesn't want to say it. "Tell me," I practically demand. His brows scrunch in anger before he makes his face relax.

"I—we forced him out."

"Why?"

"He and your mother weren't supposed to have pups, and we don't believe in sending away the mother and pups to die. So we went with the alternate choice. We sent him away. I have no idea if he's alive or not—"

"Is that why my name's Bandit?" I cut in, "Because my dad's like—an outlaw? Was it some sort of thing that…" I let my voice trail, not sure of what I'm asking exactly.

"Yes," Corvor answers, "that's why you were named Bandit." He turns away and heads towards his own den. I look back at Phoenix and I bury my head into his fur. He smells like spring does. Like the mountain air and fresh grass. He walks me over towards my den as I sway back and forth, my head dizzy.

"Are you going to be okay?" Phoenix asks as I lay down in the den. I shake my head.

"I'm never… never," my voice breaks. Tears roll down my face like the floodgates of heaven have opened. "I'm never going to see her again." Phoenix licks my head gently as I continue. "And… and I never really saw my dad…. How the hell am I supposed to care for my brothers?" I look at him with a tear-streaked face.

"I can help you, Bandit. You're not alone."

His words cascade over me with new meaning. I'm _not_ alone. I have him, and even though I have to take care of them, I have my brothers. We can all help each other.

"Shadow, Cloud," I yell shakily to the pups. They come over, but not in their usual prancing way, but sullenly. Their paws scrape the ground as their lowered heads enter the den.

"What's he like, doing here?" Cloud asks, his voice empty. I look at Phoenix. I don't want him to leave, but…

"I'll… just go now," Phoenix says awkwardly as he slinks out of the den. His golden body disappears into the darkening forest. I peer over my shoulder and see a saddening scene. Both boys are weeping silently, their little shoulders vibrating mercilessly.

"Hey," I say to them. They look up and immediately come towards me, wiping their little tears on my fur. They lay down in between my outstretched front legs. I rest my chin gently on their backs.

I stare aimlessly off into nowhere as my stomach tumults over itself. I refuse to hurl, and I lay there for a good hour while my stomach summersaults.

 _"_ _Mom!" I yell as I feel vibrations echo upwards from the ground. "Mom, get out of there!" I run forwards, towards her. The pack stays behind me, nervous and afraid of the devastating event happening before them._

 _"_ _Go back! Bandit, listen to me," she pleads. I make a hard stop, just a sixth of a whinx away from the edge of the cliff. No! The rocks spread apart. She leaps, her legs flinging herself across the gap and towards the stable land. She tries to pull herself up, her muscles in her fore legs bulging as she begins to clamber up. Everything begins to slide down into the crevasse, rocks, pebbles, dirt… and my mother._

 _"_ _Mom! No… No!" I scream into the new canyon as I see her disappear into the haze of debris. My heart throbs harder than my head does as I pace back and forth. My life is suddenly meaningless. My heart is empty. There is no reason to remain alive. My soul is becoming crushed with despair._

 _I shake violently as I collapse onto the ground, my paws hanging over the edge as I look down. Everything becomes wavy and distorted. I force myself back onto my feet. Too much loss… too much loss…. The thought rings in my head over and over until I make the jump into the canyon to join my mother. The air rushes past my face, blowing my fur around wildly. I can see her body below me as I fall through the miasma. The ground becomes closer every second. My paw hits the ground first, and I can feel a crack grow along my bone all the way up to my shoulder. My head greets the ground, and the earsplitting thump of my body landing envelopes all other sounds. I can feel the warm, hot blood race from my fractured skull. The sappy liquid spills from my stomach, pooling on the biscuit-colored rocks. I make a last attempt to see my mother. Her fur is coated with crimson, just like mine. And soon she will see me, too, when I join her in the sky._

 _My breath rattles as my body fights for life. But my mind combats against it. I've never been more ready to die. Blackness feeds at the edge of my vision, slowly gaining more and more ground. Soon I can only see a small flicker of light from the sun's rays peeking through the dust cloud. Then the lights are turned off, and I am plunged into a world of darkness. I feel peaceful as my heart beats slower and slower, and my chest fails to rise any longer. My swirling thoughts are put to rest. I'm finally free of the thought of forever losing my mother. Now I can never fear of her demise again._

My eyes snap open. Small streaks of light pour in from the den's entrance. Cloud and Shadow are still curled up underneath my chin, resting soundlessly. I try not to wake them as I get up and walk out of the den. Skhala and the others are hanging out in the clearing. I decide to talk to them and make up for the other day.

"I'm sorry," I say to Skhala as I near, my voice weak and feeble.

"Don't say that," she whispers as she puts her paw on my shoulder. "That's not something we need to worry about."

"I never got to say goodbye!" I break down again. God, I just can't pull myself together. "Just one more day to say goodbye. To see her again. To say sorry for all of those times I was a brat. Or annoying." Tears roll down my cheeks as I sob, my chest heaving as I breathe. Cherry moves closer and I gently press my head against her. Liko stays where she is. I don't blame her. I probably look awful. I try to calm down, but sadness sears across my body in painful shockwaves. My chest is empty as if somebody grabbed everything out of it, and my gut feels hollow. The point of living becomes fuzzy and distorted. My firm belief on everything falters, and suddenly I'm plunged into a world that doesn't make sense. The only thing that matters is Phoenix and I, and no longer do I care what other wolves think about us. He's mine and I'm his, and no opinions will strengthen nor destroy that fact.

"Shhh… Shhh," Skhala tries to calm me as she strokes my fur with her light tongue. My ears flatten as the hissing noise reaches them. It was just like what my mom did when I was upset. I can't bear anything doing with my mom. I back up like a grihl animal and I run off towards the general direction of Phoenix's den, trying to search for a wolf that wouldn't create connections to what would remind me of my mother but who will still comfort me. My heart pounds as memories that I have been trying to block come flooding into my mind.

Phoenix looks into my pained eyes and immediately gets up, his golden eyes searching.

"Bandit? Are you okay?" Phoenix asks worriedly. I shake my head as I burrow my head into his fur, desperately trying to find refuge, again, from everything and everyone. His calm, soothing, steady heart beat calms me. Warmth radiates past his fur towards my face. I breathe out shakily as I back up and look into his soft, caring eyes.

"I'm fine at one point," my voice breaks again as I let out a puff of held-up air, "and then the next second, I'm crying. I hate it." Phoenix lets out a light sigh as he caresses my forehead with his tongue. I follow him slowly as we walk towards the south-west part of the mountain. My eyes settle on Norris Geyser Basin as Phoenix speaks soothingly to me. His words are blurred and bent. Not understandable. I lean against him as I try to focus on Norris, and away from reality. I try to focus on marveling at its beauty and uniqueness of all of the other features surrounding it. I look across Yellowstone as Phoenix continues to speak inaudibly to me. I look across the rolling voids that are filled with just pines that stretch all the way up Amethyst Mountain.

"—just focus on the good things," I hear him say as I finally return to life. I nod as if I was following along the whole time. Phoenix smiles and presses his nose against my cheek. I give a slight smile as I return my love to him by giving him a lick.

"Phoenix, I—" my words are cut short as the rustling of leaves comes from behind us. We wheel around, and once again meet the devil's eyes. Taigo's eyes.

"I can't believe you, Phoenix! What happened to us? Why are you with her? C'mon. We're going to _talk_ ," she says fiercely. Phoenix glances at me.

"There's nothing to talk about, Taigo. You know nothing was working out."

"What do you mean? We were in _love_. We _are_ in love," she says, her face contorts into a confused expression.

"No. You're wrong," I jump in. Her eyes widen as she looks me up and down like I was a rat that had appeared in her den.

"Shut your mouth, mutt!"

"Maybe you should shut _yours_ ," Phoenix barks angrily as he steps forward. "Mutt," he adds after a split second. The young alpha's mouth opens in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"We're mates," Phoenix says, his head rising as he talks.

"You and that—"

"Beautiful, young, _nice_ wolf? Yes," Phoenix says as he nuzzles me. Taigo growls and paces, trying to find a way to try to erase the last few words that Phoenix has spoken, but she knows that there's no way that that's even possible. She huffs and then walks away, probably off to tell Corvor. The second smile I have given today comes out in full force as I look into Phoenix's eyes. "We showed her," he says with a large grin.

"No, you did," I say. I pause before mentioning, "See? Now I'm fine."

"Because you're strong, and you can fight your pain and despair," he says. I giggle a little as my face grows hot. Maybe it was just him that made me feel different. Maybe it's because I know I won't lose him. I can't. "Oh God."

"Wha—" I'm about to ask, but I follow his gaze and find my answer. The Norris Geyser is exploding frothing, steaming-hot water into the air. Much higher and ferociously than ever before. "What the….?" I let my sentence trail. Phoenix just shakes his head as he tries to understand. Its wrath finally dies down after several minutes.

"Phoenix?"

"Hmm?" he utters from his throat, his eyes studying the landscape.

"It's like the Norris Geyser is reflecting how I feel. It blows up, just to calm down again…." The thought is far-away and very strange. It is the thought worthy of a grihl wolf, but I believe in what I said fully. That was the tears of the Norris Geyser, just like my tears had fallen. And now we're both better again.

 **A/N: Oh, the irony. Nobody will be better for long! It's so fun to not have Bandit understand the trueness behind to Norris Geyser's fury. She has no clue what's about to unfold. Keep reading to see what happens next in the relatively small catastrophes that lead up to the biggest cataclysmic event in wolf history!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry about the fast-changing emotions, but if you think about it, it's sort of accurate. Wolves/dogs mourn in a way, but if a wolf is with its mate, then it's going to feel differently. Tell me if you disagree, and think that I should keep a more even-paced emotion.**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	5. Chapter Five : Zero Chance of Survival

"Eat," I say firmly to the pups. Shadow reluctantly takes a nip of the decaying elk retrieved from the recent hunt. Cloud just shakes his little head feebly back and forth. "C'mon, Cloud. You have to eat something." My voice sounds strange. Different. Since news of my mom's death two days ago, I have changed. My voice is more adult-like, and my attention has been solely focused on Cloud, Shadow, and Phoenix. I have slowly let Skhala and the others drop out of the picture, and they haven't made a move to try to change that. Maybe they know that I'm just dealing with quite a bit right now, not to mention I'm the 'star' of the pack currently. First I become injured from the landslide and then my mom dies. And just to top it off, Phoenix and I are mates. Whenever I walk by someone, I feel like they're talking about one of the events that has come to make me well-known throughout the pack. I have gone from something short of a ghost lurking in the shadows that only hangs out with close friends and family to a prominent, recognized wolf far and wide around the pack's borders, although it is completely different circumstances than what one would usually be placed in the lime-light for. No, everything, except becoming Phoenix's mate, has been dreadful and something that I wish nobody knew. For the past few days, all I ever hear from the older wolves is and was "I'm sorry to hear your loss," or "Your mother was a great wolf." I hate all of it! How are these words supposed to comfort me? It just opens up the wounds that I've tried to bandage and heal.

"I'm like, not hungry," Cloud mutters as his eyes feast on the carcass. Drool is visible, but he just licks it away as he backs away from the elk.

"Why?" I inquire. "Cloud, you haven't eaten for a couple of days. You're growing, and you need your protein." I lick his forehead, grooming his fur and sleeking the small spikes that stick up here and there.

"I like, miss mom, okay? Like, leave me alone," he says as he backs away and shoves his head into his paws. "And you can choose whether you eat or not. It is like… not fair." I probe my mind for a statement that will make him eat.

"If you don't eat, then you can't play today," an airy voice says. I look over and see Phoenix.

"Hey," I say with a smile. I run my body under his chin before sitting down again. Cloud looks at Phoenix and then back at the elk. He sighs and then dives into the elk, his mouth tearing into the fore leg.

"Phoenix," Shadow brags, "Look at what I can do!" He grabs onto large bone and lifts it into the air. Phoenix laughs and I join in for a second, every worry gone. His jaw begins to tremble just as he sets it down. Phoenix takes a seat beside me as we watch Shadow tackles Cloud. The rustling noise of leaves reaches my ears and I turn around to see Aireo appearing from the forest.

"What is he doing here?" I ask my mate uneasily.

"He's my friend," Phoenix whispers as the wolf comes nearer. "Hey, Aireo. Long time no see."

"Was' up?" he asks, his grey, blue-tinged coat absorbing the sunlight. His grey eyes shine spectacularly as he parks next to Phoenix. I become more and more jittery as time passes on, the two still talking. Skhala and the others are just visible through the bushes along the line of the forest and clearing. God. They're going to come over here. Sure enough, seconds later, Cherry appears as the front line with Skhala and Liko in close pursuit. Awkwardness takes over me as they too take a seat, uninvited, only a couple of feet away from the five of us.

" _Hey_ Phoenix," Skhala says. Has word not gotten out everywhere between us two? Is she really that clueless? Phoenix gives her a weird look and then continues his conversation with Aireo who is now staring Cherry up and down. I roll my eyes and lay down, my ears pressed tightly against my head. "Remember about what I asked you… like a couple of days ago? I was wondering if you would take me up on my offer."

"What offer?" Aireo asks, his eyes glancing between the two wolves suspiciously. Skhala ignores him as she keeps her face pointed towards Phoenix.

"No, Skhala. Sorry," Phoenix adds. He looks at me before saying, "Bandit and I are mates."

"Yeah, be on your way," Aireo says with a smirk, his eyes glistening. Skhala gives a little giggle as she looks at him. "Sorry, Phoenix. I think I'm going to go." Phoenix sighs as Aireo trots off with the group. A soft noise, something like a purr, emits from my throat as I rub my chin on his shoulder. Phoenix smiles and rests his head on mine.

"Well, at least they're gone," I say to Phoenix. He grins again and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"PDA!" I hear a small squeaky voice say. I look to my left and see Shadow with his paw pointing at us, the other one covering his eyes half-way.

"What does PDA mean?" Cloud asks curiously.

"Public display of affection," Shadow says, his eyes rolling as he turns his attention back to us. "You two get a den! Geez, wolves these days." I know he's just trying to sound cute and funny, but the worst part is, it works. Even Cloud perks up and begins to roll around with laughter. The traumatizing events of the past few days are suddenly gone as my mind clears instantly, as if a light has turned on in the middle of the night.

"Maybe we should," I hear Phoenix whisper in my ear. I can feel my face yet again grow hot and my eyes widen slightly.

"Hmm. That can wait for now," I say with a smile, my ears perked. "We've got these idiots to take care of."

"Who are you calling idiots?" I hear Shadow ask.

"You!" I answer as I turn around and walk a couple of steps away from them, Phoenix following, so we can talk in peace but still watch the mischievous little pups.

"That wasn't very nice," Phoenix jokes as we sit down, side by side.

"Oh, who cares?" I ask, my expression joyous. Then my own question sinks into me. Mom would care. My face falls.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," I say in an assuring matter, but the edge I get in my voice when I lie is thick and noticeable. I hope he doesn't pester me anymore. I don't want to talk about it. I get up and circle around, my paws creating slight dents in the soft dirt. I keep my eyes low as Phoenix's dig into me, looking for conversation. The noise of Cloud and Shadow behind me is the only comfort as the awkward stretch of time stretches on. I sit down and gaze off towards the woods on the other side of the clearing.

"Hey," Phoenix says as he gives me a light nudge, "let's go to the ledge. We can bring Shadow and Cloud along so that way they aren't alone." I meet his blazing, yet caring, golden eyes.

"Okay… I guess," I say, my voice feeble as I get up yet again and stretch. "Shadow, Cloud. C'mon." The follow obediently, their small, slender tails bouncing back and forth as they trot behind me and in front of Phoenix.

"Where are we going, Bandit?" Shadow asks. I don't reply as my eyes focus on the approximate area of the ledge, as it is shrouded by trees. "Ugh. Phoenix, where are we going?" Shadow diverts his question. Phoenix just smiles as Shadow gets more and more agitated. "What is this, a trick?"

"Like, yeah, like they're going to like, eat us!" Cloud gasps before he begins to laugh in an absurd matter. His glistening coat of fluff zooms past me as he races towards the cliff. I get ready to yell at him to be careful, but he seems to be a psychic, and suddenly screeches to a halt. "This is so, like, awesome!" I let lose a small laugh, trying to shield my hurt that is nipping away at me every passing second since I uttered those words. _Who cares?_ I hate those words. I hate myself. I hate nearly everything, it seems. The past few days have been a rollercoaster of emotions. One second, I could be fine, but then the next… well, I was like this. Pain courses through me as I watch the two pups romp around, play biting and chasing each other until they become dizzy. Phoenix and I take a seat side-by-side as we yet again look out over Yellowstone. Quietness settles over us like the sun's rays fall upon the land.

"I'm actually quite surprised—and relieved, definitely relieved—that there hasn't been any odd happenings lately," Phoenix undoubtedly tries to start a conversation. He looks me up and down, waiting for a response of any kind, dimwitted or intelligent, long or short. Honestly, I can't care less about what I say, either, but to my dismay, nothing appears in my throat. I can't quite seem to cough anything up. What the heck, I can think of something….

"Yeah," I say dumbly. God, can I say anything worse? At least we're already mates. He won't dump me now. "I mean… I don't know, never mind." Great, I just made things a _whole_ lot worse. I turn around and begin to sluggishly move towards the forest.

"Bandit, don't do this. It's fine. I really do understand, you don't have to walk away." But I don't listen, I keep on walking. "Bandit!" Phoenix trots ahead of me and cuts off my path, his tail lowered, his ears just barely flattened towards his head.

"What? I just can't do anything right, Phoenix. If you really understood, then we wouldn't be having this chat. You would have let me go."

"Don't be like that. C'mon, come back. Please. Bandit, I—" Phoenix cuts his sentence off.

"You smell it to?" I ask him. He nods his head very slowly.

"It smells like… sulfur." Phoenix says bitterly. Panic rises in my chest. "Oh, God. Bandit, get the pups."

"What? Why, if it's just a fire, maybe it's just the people—" I turn around and see something straight out of the stories. Shadow and Cloud are standing there, tails tucked tightly between their legs as they stand there, quivering, peering up at the monstrous form that is coming from Norris. Colossal black plumes of smoke and ash are blasting from the basin. I stand there, frozen with fear as the stench becomes stronger. But there is no more time to wait. _If_ there is a pyroclastic flow, we may as well be dead if we stay here. Even if we leave, we may not make it in time. But if there isn't, then we may just be able to stay here, right? Although, I do remember something mother said…

"Phoenix," I say hurriedly as I grab Shadow in my jaws, giving Phoenix Cloud, "what does ash do?" He thinks for a quick moment as the deafening noise of the eruption fills Yellowstone.

"I think, if I remember correctly, it creates a thick, liquid substance in your lungs…. Basically, you drown and die," Phoenix puts it simpler, his face smeared with fear as he doesn't bother to meet my gaze, he just stares off at the erupting volcano.

"Just brilliant. We're all going to die!" Shadow screeched.

"No we aren't. I'll make sure of it," I say as I look back at the wall of black smoke. But something doesn't seem to be right… it seems to be reaching out near the bottom…. Like it's _flowing_.

 **A/N: I must say, I was not expecting this story to go on for so long. In fact, I thought it was only going to be 7k, but it seems that that was an underestimate. It will most likely come out to be 14-18 thousand words, instead. As you can tell, the super eruption has begun. I know I said that it would be 1-3 in earlier chapters, and this is the third one. I was planning on it being more like the 1-2, but things are going slower than I planned. I decided to go with more of a pre-story before all of the action kicks off, get you sort of attached to some of the characters if I can (at least I skipped a couple of days instead of going on and on!).**

 **Also, I will be continuing Silverflash *after* this story is completed, so if any of you actually read it, don't worry, it will be continued. ;-)**


	6. Chapter Six: One Down, Three to Go

"Bandit, we need to go now!" Phoenix's deep yell is barely audible over the frantic howls and barks of wolves from the pack racing back and forth, desperately trying to evacuate. "If there is a pyroclastic flow, getting on the road to safety sooner rather than later is the best idea!" His voice becomes muffled as his jaws clamp roughly on Cloud's scruff of fat on his neck. I frantically search around the den, grabbing anything that I think is valuable. I snatch a small bone that my mother had carved a bedtime story into for me which she had also read for my brothers when they were younger.

"Here," I say as I hand it to Shadow, "and I swear, you lose it, I'll kill you." Shadow barely pays attention as he stares out towards the billowing smoke wide-eyed. He slowly bends his head down and picks the small rabbit bone in his jaws just after he comes out of the volcano's hypnotization.

"Hey, I remember this story! It was all about a wolf named Scarlet who was born with wings and—" I cut his sentence short as I replicate Phoenix's motions by picking him up. "Ouch," he says, annoyed.

"Yeah, well if we get caught by the flow, then it will be more than an 'ouch'," I say in a subdued voice. Shadow moans and grunts as I swing him around with my head, searching for a place of sanity to hide and run away from reality. Wolves are sweeping left and right, their coats just a blur of color. Some may not even be aware of the news since it was nearing the time to go to sleep.

"Bandit," Phoenix barks, "we'll go this way—eastward." I drop Shadow beside me and follow him without questioning as I dodge the oncoming wolves who also have pups dangling out of their mouths. Nobody knows where to go. And nobody seems to think that fleeing is the answer to escaping the volcano's wrath. I take one more glance at Amethyst Mountain. My home. I look up as movement catches my eye. White specks begin to fall closer. And closer.

"Snow?" Shadow asks.

"No. No, that is definitely not snow," I say as panic floods throughout my body. Adrenaline courses through my veins in sharp spurts as the sulfuric scent becomes stronger and stronger within each passing millisecond. _Boom._ The noise tantalizes my ears. "What's happening?" I ask as we begin to move at a brisk trot, slow enough to let Shadow and Cloud stay with us comfortably.

"I don't know, but I think it is best if we don't find out," Phoenix says in a rushed matter as he picks up his pace. Shadow begins to quicken his trot until he's almost galloping. Cloud begins to wheeze as the ash touches the tender, dried grass. He stumbles as he runs. I focus back onto the deer trail that we have decided to follow. I leap over a large root as I hear a squeal. Cloud's paw becomes lodged in the root, his face burrowed into the soil. Shadow paces around, looking for a way to help.

"Help!" Cloud yells. I wheel around and begin to tug at the root. Suddenly I stop as a new smell reaches my nostrils—the scent of scorched bodies. Something doesn't make sense. How could we be able to smell that when…? My questioning is answered as a wall of lava ash and smoke and who knows what else comes barreling down Amethyst Mountain—towards us. I whimper as I try to break Cloud free. Phoenix paws at the dirt, trying to give Cloud's paw enough room to withdraw so he can escape.

"It's like, no use," Cloud says with tear-filled eyes. "I wouldn't like be able to keep up anyways. Like, go! Save yourselves! Please. Like, I love you. I don't want you to die," he says between sobs. I glance up at the tumbling wave of lava that is racing down the mountain. "GO!" Cloud screams. I fight back tears as I begin to feel nauseous. My stomach tumults as roughly as the flow. I want to hurl, but I keep it down as we keep running. Everybody from the Specimen pack, who stayed, that is, is dead. Now Cloud will be to… A pain-filled howl erupts the air as we sprint away from the disaster. God, Cloud. I shut my eyes as I run behind Phoenix, Shadow clamped firmly between my jaws. The ash begins to settle into a fine layer on the now invisible grass. It feels like stones between my paws as I run. The minute rocks continue to fall as we race through Lamar Valley. Some of them are shaped differently. Like ash from a forest fire. But I'm not worried about _what_ I'm breathing anymore, it's _who_. This oddly shaped ash is from scalded wolves, the reeking scent of it lets me know.

The noise of the flow softens as we journey out into a small opening between the tightly-knit trees where the Lamar River is cutting through. Ash is beginning to pollute the waterway already. I drink hastily, my parched throat greedily urging me to keep drinking, even though my brain says _no, it's not safe_. The volcanic ash is barely noticeable, but I know that it is getting into me. There is no way out. We are all going to die, even if we did escape the pyroclastic flow, there is still the ash. Why did the volcano have to erupt _now_? Why me? Why Phoenix? Why were Cloud and my mother dead? My life had only delivered to me a series of most unfortunate events, and now it is giving me death on a silver—rather, ashen, platter. Furious thoughts swirl around in my head as the crisp water becomes more and more distasteful. I lurch back as a cumulated chunk of ash enters my mouth. I spit it out, my tongue lolling out of the side of my jaws as I back up, lifting one leg high, revolted. That's when I look down and notice something horrible. There is at least one twelfth of a whinx of ash layered beneath my paws. Phoenix finishes drinking and looks at me, something short of aversion and angst reflected in his hollowing golden eyes. They tell me what he is thinking. "There is no way out. We will never be together like we thought. The perfect den, the perfect pups… all of it was a dream that would one day become a reality until today where it was slivered in half by the eruption. It's the sharp knife of a short life. A short life that we can't stop. The end is unavoidable. Imminent. Impending. Inescapable. Unalterable. I love you, Bandit, but I may never live another day to tell you that." I know that he hasn't actually spoken words, but tears well up in my eyes anyway. I push my muzzle into his fur, my body leaning against his.

"I love you," I say, my nose quivering as tears run down my cheeks. Shadow doesn't move to make a smart comment, or say that I should just save it because we're going to die, and things will no longer matter. He just sits there like a statue and stares at us, his own eyes big and… teary? I can't help but flicker a smile at my little brother crying about this. But that quickly fades as Phoenix withdraws—my sanctuary is gone.

"We need to go," he says, his eyes avoiding mine. Is he scared? Of course he is, but is he scared of me? I can't tell. Maybe he is scared, because becoming my mate meant he would—and will—protect me, but he knows he can't protect me from this. Pain wallops my heart as I reluctantly move onwards. Shadow presses between us as the ash fall quickens its pace. A thin layer forms on my back. Moving becomes hard and my back feels like a stiff board. I can't help but wonder how we're even alive still. But Cloud isn't. He's dead. Burnt right to a crisp, and it was just to save us. Knowing that I'm still alive because Cloud practically sacrificed himself and told us to go on makes me feel worse. We're going to die anyways, he shouldn't have spared his life. I could only begin to _think_ of how painful that must have felt.

"How could I do that?!" I yell. Phoenix looks back, shocked.

"Do what?" He coughs, his golden fur a sanded grey.

"I let Cloud die. Think of that pup enduring that much pain. Several hundred degrees!" I scream. It doesn't make sense, not really, but I don't know how else to get my anger out. More hatred towards myself and everything else builds up within me the more I think about it.

"At least it was quick, Bandit," Phoenix unsuccessfully tries to calm me down. But I just get more riled up, like he is _purposefully_ egging me on.

" _QUICK? QUICK!_ What do you mean _quick_?! Think of the scolding flames coming at you, the lava ebbing at your hind paws. Then before you know it, the lava ash and hmm…" I let my sentence trail as I glance at Shadow, a rumble my throat as I let the word die. "…is up to your head, and you are enveloped in it all! Then you are burned _alive!_ It doesn't matter about _quick!_ " Phoenix keeps walking, but I can sense him searching for an answer. But he won't find one, and if he does, I'll keep going.

"Why are you doing this?" Oh my God. Seriously. But then I let it sink in. Why was I? We were all going to die, we already knew that. So why did I bother to make our last day or possibly _days_ suck? I let out a blustery sigh.

"I don't know," I mutter. Nobody says anything after that. We just keep trekking through the ash as it continues to fall and build up. Shadow continues to cough throughout the next hour, his little body shivering with hopelessness. More anger froths inside of me as I think back. I wish that I could've sensed this coming, after all, there was the landslide and all this other stuff that happened…. Yet nobody had the faintest clue. But if I had, then mother and Cloud would still be alive. We wouldn't be about to die, and then everybody in the pack would still be alive, too. As we walk on, I cannot help but blame myself for this misfortune.

"Did," Cloud coughs, "you hear," he hacks again, "that." His voice is crusty and withered. I flinch every time he talks. I wish he hadn't. His voice sounds so awful. Phoenix nods and I don't bother answering, but I do turn around towards the source of the noise. Now there isn't just _one_ mushroom of ash, but a second one is floating towards the sky. Two vents open, and the cloud of ash is still lingering over our heads. All I need to do now is multiply one vent by five, and I'll get the outcome. Dead. One hundred percent. Maybe Cloud's death wasn't that bad, after all, we have to suffocate in ash. But the one thought that continues to echo through my head is: One down, three to go.

 **A/N: 2 vents open. Double the trouble. What will happen next? You won't know until there is 1 more review!**


	7. Chapter Svn : Lost In More Ways Than One

"I have a," for the umpteenth time, Shadow coughs, "question for us. How are we going to get out of here alive?" I burrow into my brain, trying to think of a possible explanation. An alpha-worthy response, after all, the Specimen pack is forever gone, I may as well now be an alpha. But I need some sort of plan that I can at least come up with, no matter how ridiculous, as long as it's believable enough—even if I have to lie! I can't tell him the truth. _Hey, Shadow, bro, I'm sorry, but we_ aren't _going to get out of here_ alive _. Sorry, nope, we're all going to die. Enjoy your last day alive._ Like that would go over well. Phoenix and I would have a passed out pup on our hands. I bend my head down to brush off the ash on Shadow's muzzle with my chin. He sneezes as the swirling ash infiltrates his nose, his legs wobbling as he sidesteps.

"I don't know, bud," I sigh, my voice raspy. I try to clear it, or get some saliva up so my voice will be softer and richer, but everything I try fails.

* * *

Phoenix heads the small pack of the three of us, clearing the way of ash. Shadow stays ahead of me, or beside me, depending on the depth of the ash, while I usually hang out near the back. Fear swirls around within me every time I see Phoenix shove his head forwards. He must be inhaling a good hunk of ash. However much fear clings to me, I've been pleasantly surprised to have not seen any grizzlies around. Or possibly even worse, Druids. I ponder whether a wolf would kill us if it's bigger and stronger. Not many animals could've even survived this long in the ash, especially nothing smaller than Shadow, which means that any carnivores are hungry. I hate to think of barbaric wolves, but the thought is lingering over me like the ravens and hawks above, who are trying desperately to flee the ash cloud, and get ahead of it. I avert my attention back to the trail that Phoenix has been plowing. But I don't see him. And that's when I realize _I'm_ the one plowing.

"Phoenix? Phoenix!" I scream desperately. Where could he possibly have vanished to? I step closer to Shadow, protectively. I can hear him whining. "Did you see where Phoenix went?" I ask the little pup. He shakes his head vigorously. Damn it. Where did he go? I try to calm myself and act like Phoenix. I need to relax. I would've taken a deep breath in, but with the ash, I know that would be a very bad idea if I'd done so. I look around, but all I can see is ash and more ash. There isn't anything else in sight.

"When was the last time you saw him?" I ask my brother. He shrugs, his head dangling.

"I don't know. Twenty minutes ago, maybe?" Shadow gave me input. Twenty minutes ago…. That could've been a mile away! Fear ebbs at my body, and I unsuccessfully try to repel it. I begin to mutter to myself and talk gibberish. I need to find where Phoenix went to.

"Shadow, come on, we're going to head northward." I begin to trudge through the ash until I realize that Shadow hadn't replied. I grunt as I make a tight 360. "Shadow? God, no. Don't say I lost him, too!" I frantically search around, my head flailing in all directions. Ash falls off of my moving body and into a heap. Well now I at least know that that theory works. But I didn't find Shadow. I retrace my trail which is already becoming covered with more and more ash. "Shadow—" I cease my yell. I shut my eyes, praying that it's just a rabbit, or elk. I move my paw back from the squishy, furred substance below it. I open my eyes just a squint and look down. It is Shadow. I press my nose against his chest. He's cold, and still. The ash has already laid a fine blanket on him. I brush it aside with my fore paw as I grope around for ideas. But I don't have any. Cloud was the first to go, and now Shadow's gone to. Better yet, Phoenix is missing. Who knows, he may have taken the same twist of fate as Shadow did. Maybe he's lying back there to, covered in a whinx of murderous snow. I pace grihlly back and forth, my mouth frothing with anger. I lift my cleaned off paw and wipe the small tear away that had escaped its confinement.

I feel empty and lost again. For the third time in a week. I decide to keep heading northward.

* * *

My stomach growls. My throat is parched like a withered blade of grass. After about an hour of stumbling onwards, searching for Phoenix, I can feel a pain in my chest. My time is coming. I am the ash's next target, and I know that there is no escaping it. Phoenix's unspoken words echo back to me. "The end is unavoidable. Imminent. Impending. Inescapable. Unalterable." How right those inaudible words were. And to think that when this all started just what—a day ago? I can't keep track, the sun never shines—I thought that we could escape. I can't believe how stupid I am. I should've stopped thinking to myself, and I should've watched Phoenix. And then Shadow just dies right under my nose—almost literally!

I let out a puff of air as I walk sullenly onwards, my head low, tail even lower. If I don't find Phoenix, how will I go on? It's already hard enough. When mom died, I was only still going because of Phoenix and my brothers. Now I've lost them all. The only thing that I'm still living for is the slim chance of finding Phoenix, after all, it is possible. Nothing is impossible. I've got a chance to find my mate.

 **A/N: Sorry that this chapters really really short, I just feel bad because I haven't updated in 2 days. That just feels way to long! I'm not going to ask for a review, because I feel I've done it enough (However, any reviews are appreciated!) and I'm scared I'm going to let the story sit for a few days again because I might get a brain dump. But now 'all' of you who read this don't need to fear. I've got my plot rolling again, so next chapter should be up in 2 days at the latest!**


	8. Chapter Eight : Tis How Death Feels

The ash becomes like a layering of cake on my fur. I struggle to move as it piles on my back. I shake, and the pellets of rock go speeding off in all directions. That will let me walk faster for a couple of minutes, anyways, but the ash is becoming too much. I don't know how Phoenix could survive this long. I don't know how _I_ could survive this long. I let out a howl. A crusty, weak howl. My body shivers. I can feel my ribs press against my skin as I trot through the ash. I sneeze, my head cloudy. I need water and food. Clean water. Fresh food.

I begin to run through the ash, pain searing through my throat as I inhale it. Just the air hurts enough, but the rocks hurt beyond anything I can imagine. The grey sky above seems a tinge lighter. But that can't be possible. _Boom_. There are now five vents open.

I cough violently, my body quivering. A speck of ash stays in my throat. I shudder as I try to cough it up. I get it out, but only by vomiting which means I just wasted precious fluids. I whimper to myself as I trot along, my body frail. Frail enough to the point where I'm scared it'll break.

Is anyone else out there? That's all I can ever think of now. Everybody and everything in Yellowstone seems to have just... vanished. I haven't seen one living creature besides Shadow and Phoenix, and of course, myself. I don't think I can make it much longer. I wag my tail as I remember the joyous times I had back at home. Yes, those were the days. Sure the volcano's only been erupting for a day or two, but it feels like weeks or months. After all, the only color I ever see is grey. But all of a sudden, I see a different color. Black. It feeds on my vision, tearing it away from me. It starts at the corners, and then grows until I can only see a hint of the ashen grey. Then that disappears, too.

* * *

I awaken. Ash covers most of my body. I cough as I jump up. I must've just dozed off, or something. After all, I haven't slept for two days. I shake yet again and then once more begin to trek northwards. My paws clumsily stumble over the piles of ash. Then I hear something. I barking. I quicken my pace, my heart racing. Phoenix. It must be. A rich howl erupts the still air. I begin to gallop towards the call. I can see bird's circling the area. One swoops down until I can see that it's a vulture. I whine as I cautiously approach a huddle of them. They squawk in protest as I nip at them, trying to scare them off. They fly away. I know they'll come back soon, but I want a meal. I'm famished. I look down to see what they'd been feasting on so eagerly.

Suddenly I didn't want to eat anymore. I look into the dull, lifeless eyes of Phoenix. The ash around him is scorched with blood. I take a deep gulp as I look at him closer. His body has been pecked to where he looks the size of a coyote. His nose is bloodied, and his fur is scattered around the area.

"Phoenix," I say stupidly in disbelief. I refuse to believe what I'm witnessing as the vultures swoop back down. I strain to hold back the tears, but they come anyways. I gasp, trying to get air. I cough compellingly as the particles come into me. But I welcome them with open arms. Kill me. I no longer care. Everything I've ever loved is dead. I may as well die now. It can't get any worse.

I take large breaths of the ash infested oxygen as I mindlessly walk around, not knowing or caring where I am going or what I am doing. Nothing matters anymore, I state again to myself. My eyes stare off vehemently into nowhere. My body combatively fights the entering ash, but my mind doesn't care. It's like the two have switched positions.

I turn my head and see the vultures feeding off of Phoenix again. I snarl and run forwards savagely, my fangs slashing the air. I circle Phoenix frenziedly, keeping the predators at bay.

Ten minutes later I halt. Froth comes from my mouth as I pant. The bitter taste of rock is strong, but I don't mind it any more. It is going to save me from pain. It is going to kill me, and rescue me at the same time. I smile as I lay down beside Phoenix. _I'll be with you soon._ As the vultures try to return, I barely keep myself from going berserk and slaughtering them all. After all, if I'm going to die, why shouldn't they? They deserve it.

* * *

Taking in breaths becomes harder and more strenuous as the minutes wear on. I can feel the ash in my lungs. I know now that the ash is dependable and flawless in its work. It's killing me. Nice and slow. Just enough time to think of the past. And then once I'm ready, I'll go up to the sky with Phoenix. Hmm, I hum in my throat as I look up at the billowing clouds of smoke and minute rocks. I imagine stars twinkling above, casting light down on us. I smile, my body outstretched. I gasp for air involuntarily. If it weren't reactions, then I would let myself die more peacefully. I'd let it drown me nice and easy. But my body has to fight. I sigh as I exhale my last breath. My lungs constrict, and I know the end is soon. For the second time, I can see the blackness creeping up on my vision. Except this time it's not just a blackout. It's the end. Everything becomes fuzzy and distorted. I let out a half-whine half-sigh as I feel my heart slow. The blackness takes over. I can feel my body slow, my heart stop pumping so hard, my veins stop running so much fluid and blood through them. There's a second where I can think clearly, and I use it to think back. Ah, peace. No more pain or suffering. Eternal happiness. No pain, no pain…. Then I can think no longer.


	9. Chapter Nine : Hope Is Found

My eyes snap open. I look up and see the ash cloud. And something I haven't seen in a while. Bluer sky. It's just beyond the rim! I shake my head in disbelief as I get up and violently shake the ash off of my coat. It was all just a dream. I exhale slowly as my chest falls. Phoenix isn't dead yet, and neither am I. I fling my head up into the air in a howl.

The wind sweeps through my fur as I stumble onwards, relentless. I still had someone to love. They weren't all gone yet. And I need to find him. The wind howls, blowing the ash in a flurry of swirls. I duck my head and flatten my ears. I breathe shallowly, trying to inhale as little as possible. My feet falter from a mix of the gusts and weakness. Instantly, I perk my ears. Water. The sound of it cascading over the land is prominent. I careen towards to the sound. The ash suddenly dips, a small creek lays between. It's running fast enough to clear the rocky particles out of the way, which means it should be relatively clean.… Without a second thought, I dip my head into the crisp water.

The waves tumble down my throat, searing it. But my body quenches for more of it, and I obey. I indulge in the water for as long as I can, until I know it's time to leave. I elevate my head to an even level as I sluggishly cross the creek. My waterlogged stomach slows me down as I walk towards the north. Phoenix, please… please let me find you. I whimper as my stomach rumbles, craving for nutrition and food to fill it. I leave the creek behind as I continue my journey. My life is now dependent on whether or not I find sustainable food—or any at all. I haven't even seen another creature besides wolves and birds. The chances of finding food are slim.

I instantly perk my ears at a howl. Like the dream. My eyes widen as I bound forwards through the snow, creating circles several whinxes apart. I race by a voice. I screech to a halt. Phoenix? I wheel around.

"Bandit—" I hear a bark before the rest of the words become muffled as the wolf leaps on me. It backs away. It is Phoenix. He looks bedraggled, but doubtlessly no worse than what I must look like.

"Phoenix," I say with a smile. I lean forward to give him a kiss, but he raises a paw.

"Ash," he says in a crusty voice. But I don't care. We have been separated for hours, and that's too long… Phoenix laughs as I try again, but he leaps away. Unawares, the ash disappears and grass and flowers sprout from the ground. I chase Phoenix through the tall, lush grass and poppies. Bumblebees float in the air clumsily, their fat bodies swaying with the gentle breeze. I trip and everything turns back to reality. Ash, ash, and more ash. I get up, the grey powder settling on my back just in time to get shaken off. Phoenix chuckles. It's probably bad for us to laugh in this predicament, but who cares? We're together, and that's all I've longed for for an eternity. Or so it feels.

"Come on, Bandit. When we became disunited, I found a herd of elk. I killed one, but there are still at least three. You look like you haven't eaten at all."

"That's because I haven't," I state. Phoenix shakes his head, a smile fiddling with his lips. "What?"

"Nothing. C'mon, hurry!" I take great leaps, making sure to do anything but procrastinate. If Phoenix can find the herd, than I can get a meal. Which means that the odds will lean into my favor. Then he stops. I turn around, confused. "Where's Shadow," his words are solicitous. I choke back the tears. Just as I was forgetting everything else bad that had ever happened to me, Phoenix has to bring this up. I let out an asphyxiated sigh. I can feel the tribulation strangling me from the inside out. "Bandit?" Phoenix questions. I shift my weight on my feet, and angle my head away from my mate.

"He's—Shadow… he um…" I stop and let a few drops of salty water come from my eyes. I take a breath in. I have to tell him, whether he had figured it out or not. "He's… gone."

"Gone?" Phoenix asks slowly. Then his face changes. He understands now, but I'm already screaming the words at him. It would be almost funny to think about how much emotions can twist your life around—if it weren't for the fact that it's true.

"HE'S DEAD!" I wail. Once more, hatred towards myself flows through my veins. I wish that the dream I had when my mother died was real. I wish I had jumped off of that cliff with her. But I hadn't even been there, so why bother wishing?

Phoenix dips his head. I look away, ashamed at myself for my loss of control yet again. But I yet again don't know what there is to live for, now that Phoenix probably think I'm grihl again. I wish I hadn't found him. We both were better off alone.

* * *

The sound of an elk pulls me viciously away from my thoughts. Good riddance. Phoenix signals me to stay put as he charges the elk, his teeth tearing into its rump. The old, weakened elk falls on the ground, a flurry of ashes springing up high into the sky as it lands. Phoenix bites its throat again and again until it lays there, motionless. Like Shadow. I warily bend closer to it, my nose sniffing its weathered body. I take a bite and immediately reach its ribs. So nothing else out here is in any better shape than Phoenix and I are.

I feast on the tough meat, my teeth tearing into it mercilessly. The blood trickles down my throat, warming it. I smile as I look at Phoenix. He grins back.

"Sorry," I say for the millionth time.

"It's okay, Bandit." Phoenix licks my head softly, his tongue caressing my fur.

I get up and we continue our journey through the barren wasteland. Northward, towards the bluer sky. Towards hope.

* * *

 **A/N: Haha, please don't get to angry about me letting you all think Bandit died. Well, at least she's not dead, right? Count your blessings, because I decided to make this story shorter than I was going to. If I had made it longer, there would be more deaths, so let's all hope that I don't change my mind again and decide to make it longer by writing an aftermath!**

 **Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Short n' Sweet

**A/N: This chapter contains the last chapter and the epilogue. Enjoy!**

* * *

I trace Phoenix's steps through the deep ash. The water and food is helping tremendously and the going is easier. I watch his ash-covered body prance through the rocks gracefully. I'm so glad that I found him because it makes everything seem better than it is.

"Bandit," Phoenix exclaims. I peer at him curiously.

"Yes," I say, confused. I trot up to his side.

"Are you having an easier time going through the ash?" What was he, a psychic? "Or is it just me," he adds.

"Well, yeah it's easier, but I thought it was just—" I cut off my sentence as Phoeinx motions to the ground. It's only up to the middle of my legs now, unlike a few hours ago when it was up to my chest.

"See? The amount of ash is declining. Bandit, I think we're getting out of this mess." My eyes widen as I look around. We are. Adrenaline once again courses though my body.

"C'mon," I bark to him excitedly, already bounding ahead. Phoenix pants as he catches up.

The ash flies into waves as we leap through it, desperately trying to reach the lighter, friendlier sky ahead. Of course. I couldn't believe it. The wind carries the ash cloud _east_. If we had gone north from the start… Shadow may still be alive. It doesn't matter! Yes it does, he's now dead. But I need to focus on the fact that Phoenix and I are alive. And quite healthy. I get dragged out of my thoughts as I run into a pole. I look up. The sign on it says, "Can da."

"What's Can da?" I ask Phoenix. I squint, trying to figure it out. I grope around my brain furiously, but I can't find anything. I watch Phoenix swipe his paw over the sign, clearing the ash. Now it makes sense. "Oh, Canada," I say. God, I'm stupid.

"That's worth more than an 'oh'," Phoenix yaps excitedly. "Look ahead! The cloud ends just a mile away!" And so we continue once more. For the last time ever. For an eternity. Never again shall we be threatened by ash. I begin to pick up into a run and Phoenix joins in. Before I know it, it's a race. Our heads bob back and forth. I go from first to second, but it honestly doesn't matter. As long as we reach blue skies. I never realized how much I could miss it. I stop thinking about such-and-such as Phoenix darts ahead. No you don't, I think inwardly. I stretch my stride to the longest I can. Before long, I catch up. Phoenix chuckles as I pass him.

Now the ash is only up to the top of my paws. I lift my head up into a long howl as I pull to a stop, Phoenix next to me. He too raises his head to the sky and howls. I can see the rim of the ash cloud just a little ways away. Then blue sky. It's clear and crisp. Just like I remember. I sprint forwards through the ash, sending it into a flurry as my paws kick it up behind me. Phoenix dodges it and comes up beside me. We both screech to a sudden halt as the texture changes. A thin layer of ash is on the grass, but not enough to make it feel different. The hard, painful stabs of the ash is gone as we walk a few more steps, and the soft fluff of grass meets our paws. We're free, and we're out of here! My dance with fate is over. Now my fate lies in _my_ paws. Not natures. Yes, I will never be dancing with fate again. Ever. I'll make sure of it.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Phoenix and I found a den on a small, flattened hill half-circled with mountains, the rest forest. It is way beyond beautiful. We also have three precious pups. Their names are Everest, Orbit, and Raven. Everest is white, Orbit takes after Phoenix with a reddish pelt, and Raven is fawn-colored.

And there is one more thing I must tell you. I found my dad. Yep. Alive and well. I found out his name is Langundo, which means peaceful. I like that, because that's what we all need in this crazy world. Peace.

And so that is how it is, now. The eight of us living on the ridge. Together. Forever. Fate is gone. All we have ahead of us is the open road of choices.

Or so I thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Shortest chapter, I know. I might redo it one of these days, but it will have the same basic plot to it anyways. But length doesn't mean everything. And I think although short, this is a nice ending to Bandit's journey. I hope you enjoyed this story!**


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